As the new year approaches, we take time to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year and our goals for the next.
For The Lincoln County News, perhaps the most significant accomplishment of 2017 was the installation of new equipment in April to double the color capacity of our newspaper press and double the number of color pages in the newspaper.
As part of this change, we reorganized the front section to distribute the color where it is most useful and to keep like items, such as opinion pieces and obituaries, together.
Other physical changes include a facelift for our front office, with new flooring and display racks. Come visit us and check it out.
We have nearly completed the first year of our reader photo contest, which has been a big hit. We look forward to the grand finale and to beginning a second year. Read more on the front page.
We received recognition from our peers in the industry at the Maine Press Association Better Newspaper Contest, taking honors in various reporting, photography, and design categories, and crowning the top young journalist in the state for the second straight year.
We have more changes to come. Watch for an announcement of some of those changes in mid-January.
Perhaps the most significant change of all, in terms of long-term impact, was the replacement of our “vintage” snack machine with a robot-like “smart” model.
This new machine accepts payments from our cellphones, can detect when it fails to deliver a snack, and alerts its supplier via cellular signal when inventory begins to run low. It even speaks to us.
No word yet as to when the editor robot will arrive.
While it is satisfying to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year, we know we can always do better.
No matter how many government proceedings and business happenings and community events and court cases and emergencies and features we cover in a particular week, we can never be everywhere.
This question is always on our mind: what is happening in Lincoln County right now that is going to be, or should be, news?
You, our readers, can help us in this regard: email a tip to info@lcnme.com, use the form at lcnme.com/submit-other, or call 563-3171 and ask for the editor. We do our best to follow up on every newsworthy tip.
All of us at The Lincoln County News wish you a happy and safe new year.
